Mansfield, Mass. - With a repeat on its mind, the Adelphi University softball team has been selected to finish first in the 2023 NE10 Preseason Coaches' Poll, the conference office announced Tuesday afternoon.

The Panthers, who are coming off a 47-win season, captured the 2022 NE10 Championship in dramatic fashion. On her home field, Adelphi's Ashley Lombardi ended a long 11-inning stalemate with a walk-off two-run homer against then-defending conference champion Saint Anselm College.

Adelphi was a near-unanimous favorite, tallying 143 points and 11 of 13 first-place votes. Franklin Pierce carried the other two first-place votes and 125 points to run second in the voting.

Reigning NE10 Coach of the Year Carla Campagna's squad was resilient the entire postseason. The Panthers staved off elimination six times in the NCAA Tournament to capture their sixth regional championship all-time (third as a Division II program).

Adelphi welcomes back thirteen players from its championship-winning roster of 2022 -- which won its most games in a season since 2008.

The conference and region will have to contend with the same 1-2 punch of Claire Fon and Lindsey Hibbs in the circle.

The two right-handers will look to shine yet again, after combining for 21 shutouts and 477 strikeouts last season. Fon closed out her junior campaign as the NE10 and D2CCA Pitcher of the Year with a school-record 24 wins. 

Adelphi will begin its season in Florence, S.C. on Feb. 18, competing in the Patriot Invitational Tournament. The squad's first home game will be played on Mar. 14, when the Panthers take on College of Staten Island.

2023 NE10 Softball Preseason Poll
1. Adelphi (11 First-Place Votes) - 143 Points
2. Franklin Pierce (Two First-Place Votes) - 125 Points
3. Saint Anselm - 124 Points
4. Pace - 103 Points
5. Southern New Hampshire - 98 Points
6. Assumption - 73 Points
7. Southern Connecticut - 72 Points
8. Bentley - 70 Points
9. New Haven - 68 Points
10. Le Moyne - 60 Points
11. Saint Rose - 38 Points
12. Saint Michael's - 23 Points
13. American Int'l - 17 Points